Time releasing mechanism.



-Nn. 691,047. Patented Ian. l4, l9fll2.

' S. S. COLT.

TIME RELEASING MECHANISM.

Application filed June 20, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Infidel.)

27INVENTOR: SAMUEL c LT;

a: JM'X ATTORNEY- No. 691,047. Patented Jan. l4, I9lD2.

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TIME RELEASING MECHANISM.

(Application filed June 20, 1900,\

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet -2.

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w! QMMMM No. 69!,047. Patented Ian. M, I902.

S. S. COLT.

TIME RELEASING MECHANISM.

(Applies-tint filed June 20, 1900.1

(No Model.) 3 Shaets8heet 3.

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WITNESSES: I INVENTOR (gar 5%5 4 SAMUEL smLT,

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SAMUEL S. COLT, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

TIME RELEASlNGi ii/iECHANlSil/i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,047, dated January 14, 1902. Application filed June 20,1900. Serial No. 20,936. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. COL1,a citizen of the United States, residing at Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-sin Releasing Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention has reference to improvements in time-controlled weight-releasing mechanism employed in connection with the train of gears of a clock mechanism and which can be used for automatically operating a damper in a pipe or duct connected with a stove, range, or other heater or for auto matically closing a door of the heater or furnace, but which is also adapted for various other purposes where it is desired to release a weight.

The invention therefore has for its principal objects, first, to provide a simply-constructed weight-releasing mechanism which can be released at a predetermined time by the ordinarygear mechanism of a clock without altering the general construction or interfering with the arrangement of the mechanism thereof; secondly, to provide a novel means for immediately setting or looking the time-set mechanism after it has operated in the usual manner of an alarm-clock mechanism and has released the weight to permit of the placing of the weight in position and immediately locking the holding-jaws, which are controlled by the time-set mechanism, and, thirdly, to provide in connection with the above a novel means for manually releasing the weight-retaining mechanism at. any desired time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of holding or retaining jaws which can be separated or opened for the releasing of the weight and said jaws thereafter being again closed or brought into their initial holding relation for the arrangement of the weight besists in the several novel arrangements and combinations of the various parts, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter and then finally pointed out in the accompanying clauses of the claim which forms a part of this specification.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a clock mechanism and a weight-releasing mechanism made according to the principles of my present invention, a portion of the face of the clock being broken away to clearly illustrate the arrangement of the clock mechanism and the various parts of the weight-releasing mechanism. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the clock mechanism and the weight retaining or holdingjaws, illustrating in elevation and secured to the back of the frame of the clock mech anism the time-set mechanism for releasing the. weight manually at any desired time. Fig. 3 is a front face view of the frame of the clock mechanism, said view illustrating the time-set jaw-releasing mechanism in its released or operated position with the jaws separated. Fig. 4 is a similarview of the several parts represented in said Fig. 3, but illustrating the several parts of the time-set releasing mechanism prematurely locked or set immediately after the weight has been removed from the holding-jaws. Fig. 5 is a top or plan View, on an enlarged scale,0t' the frame of the clock mechanism, illustrating in elevation on one side of the frame the arrangement of the releasing mechanism and a set of gears or pinions connected therewith for locking the said releasing mechanism and illustrating upon the other side of the said frame the mechanism for manually releasing the weight retaining or holding mechanism at any other time than the predetermined time at which the time-set mechanism is to be released. Fig. 6 is a face view of one of the sets of gears or pinions for locking the time-set releasing mechanism. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, and Fig. 8 is a crosssection taken on line 8 8 in said Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of portions of the clock mechanism, the said view representing a weight-retainin g stem or bar in its disengaged relation with a holding-spring secured to the side of the framework.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the said above-described views to indicate corresponding parts.

In said drawings in Figs. 1 and 2, 1 indicates the usual form of clock-casing, provided with the supporting-legs 2 or other supports at the bottom of the casing, and the alarmgong 3, secured upon the top of the casing 1 and actuated in the well-known manner by the usual construction and arrangement of gear mechanism operated from the time set mechanism, to .be hereinafter fully described. Within said casing 1 is the usual form of ring-shaped frame 4, against which is arranged the dial 5 on the one side thereof and the clock-mechanism frame 6 on the other side thereof in the usual and substantially in the manner illustrated in said Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The back of the casing 1 is provided .with the usual cover, which, however, is not shown in the present drawings. The frame 6 consists, as usual, of the front and back frame portions, which are connected and held together by means of the posts 7. Between these two frame portions is arranged the usual clock or gear mechanism' actuated by the mainspring 8, arranged upon the spindle 9 and which is wound by means of the finger-piece 1 0. This spindle 9 by means of a gear 11 causes the rotation of the arbor 12, and thereby the rotation of the time-indicating hands of the clock, the latter, however, being omitted from the drawings. The said spindle 12 is provided at the back with the usual finger-piece 13 for setting the hands in the well-known manner. This stem or arbor 12 also operates the usual train or gears of the clock mechanism and of the alarm-gong-actuating mechanism. It also actuates an arbor or spindle 14, which is provided at the back with a finger-piece 15 for setting the hand or index connected with said stem in the usual manner, but not shown herein, to the hour at which it is desired that the alarm mechanism and in the present instance the weight-releasing mechanism shall be actuated to release the weight or other means to be actuated by the releasing-jaws. This arbor or spindle 14 has fixed thereon a collar 16, having a projection or finger 17, and its arrangement on said spindle or arbor is such that it will turn with said arbor when the arbor or spindle is turned by means of its finger-piece for setting the index-hand to the hour at which it is desired that the mechanism shall be released. Upon the said arbor 12 is a gear-wheel 18, which is in operative engagement with a pinion 19 andarbor 21. This gear 19 by means of a clutch or grip mechanism, to be presently described, actuates a second pinion 20 on the arbor 21, which in turn is in operative mesh with a toothed wheel or gear 22 on the arbor or spindle 14. This gear or toothed wheel 22 is also in operative mesh with a pinion 23, arranged on a spindle or arbor 24, which is rotatively arranged in the frame portions of the frame 6 and is provided at the back with a suitable finger-piece or knob 25 for the purposes to be hereinafter more fully set forth. The said wheel 22 is rotatively and slidably arranged on the said arbor or spindle 14. Secured in an inclined position to the face of the front frame portion of the frame 6 by means of screws or pins 26 is a stem or bar 27, the lower end of which extends through an opening 28 in the casing 1 and is provided with a holding-jaw 29. A second stem or bar 30, provided with a holding-jaw or nosing 31 at its lower end,which extends from the opening 28 in the casing 1, is provided with one or more slots or openings 33, whereby it can be slidably arranged u pon suitable screws or pins 32 against the face of the front frame portion of the frame 6. A spring 36, having its forward end in operative engagement with a stud or projection, as 37, on said bar or stem 30, forces said bar or stem normally in an upward direction, whereby an upper end portion or piece 34 of said bar or stem 30, which is provided with a laterallyextending finger or projection 35, causes said finger or projection to be arranged over the edgeof the end portion 39 of a flat spring 38, which is secured 'to the frame 6 by means of a screw 40 or in any other well-known manner, all of which will be clearly seen from an inspection of Figs. 1, 4, and 5. When these several parts just described are in the position indicated in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 4 of the drawings, then said spring 38 having its edge of the part 39 directly beneath the finger or projection 35 of the part 34 of the bar 30 the latter cannot move downwardly and its nosing or jaw 31 cannot slide away from its holding engagement with the side of the jaw 29 of the bar 27, and thus fully retains the link 41 of a weight or the like in its held or captured position, as will be clearly evident. When, however, the spring 38 has moved away from its holding engagement with the said finger or projection 35, in the manner to be hereinafter set forth, then the weight connected with the chain 41 immediately forces the nosing or projection 31 away from contact with the jaw 29 of the bar or stem 27, and the weight is released. The spring 38 is released from its holding engagement with the finger or holding projection 35 of the bar or stem 30 in the following manner. The said flat spring '38 is also normally pressing against the back against the back of the said projection or finger 17 of the sleeve 16. At the determined hour the rotation of the wheel 22 will have brought an oifset 45 in the cam-surface 44 of the hub 43 directly back of said projection or finger 17, and the spring 38 will cause the immediate sliding forward of the tubular hub 43 and the wheel connected therewith, whereby the edge of the portion 39 of the spring 38 is disengaged from its holding engagement with the finger or projection 35 of the portion 34 of the bar 30, as above stated and as illustrated more particularlyin Fig. 9 of the drawings, and thereby releasing the weight supported between the jaws of the two bars 27 and 30. The several parts of the mechanism described hereinabove now stand in the positions represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In the usual constructions of alarm mechanism for clocks it would now be impossible to immediately set the time-set mechanism for some future hour at which the weight is again to be released. In my mechanism all that is necessary is to wind up the spring 46 by means of its arbor 47, (see Fig. 2,) which will actuate the time-set release mechanism, and then set the finger or projection 17 on the spindle 16 to the hour at which it is intended that the load shall be released. In order that this mechanism can be set, it will be necessary that the finger 17 must be against the edge of the hub 43, away from the cam-surface 44 of said hub, as indicated in Fig. 4. To accomplish this, I have provided the two pinions19 and 20, hereinabove mentioned, the pinion 19 being directly fastened upon the spindle 21 and actuated in the regular manner by the toothed wheel 18, but the pinion 20 being loosely arranged on said spindle 21 and being only actuated by the pinion 19 to cause the proper rotary movement of the toothed wheel 22 when a stud or projection 48 on the pinion 19, and which extends into a slot or opening 50 in a disk 49, loosely arranged on said spindle 21, has caused one complete revolution of said disk 49, and said disk finally has the part 52 brought in forced engagement with a stud or projection 51 on the pinion 20, and thereby causes the rotation of the latter, as will be clearly evident from an inspection of Figs. 6, 7, and 8. This arrangement of the disk 49 and the two studs of the respective pinions 19 and 20, which ex tend into the said slot 50 in such a manner that they can pass each other, will allow of a partial rotation of the toothed wheel 22, by means of the pinion 23, when the latter is turned, by means of the finger-piece 25, on the arbor or spindle 24. In this manner the finger or projection 17 can be set, as shown in Fig. 4, with the cam-surface 44 of the hub 43 in advance of it and without causing the release of the time-set mechanism, as will be clearly evident. The weight can now be again suspended with the link 41 between the holdingjaws of the bars 27 and 30 and the latter pushed upward with its finger or projection 35 again arranged over the edge of the spring 38.

The means for manually releasing the weight-releasing bars at will according to the wishes of the operator are illustrated more particularlyin Figs. 2 and 5. In this construction I have slidably arranged upon the spindle or arbor 14 a tubular hub 53, which is provided with a cam-surface 54 and an. offset 55. A spring-arm 56 is secured to the back frame portion of the frame 6, the free end portion of said arm having a hole or perforation, as clearly indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 2, whereby said end portion is slidably fitted upon the arbor or spindle 14, as will be understood from an inspection of said Fig. 2, said end portion having a projection 57, which can be brought in sliding engagement with the cam-surface 54 and against the edge of the offset by the mechanism to be presently described and to manually release the weight when desired. Secured to the said hub 53 is a wheel or disk 58, which, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2, is provided with an offset 59, forming a stop and which can be brought in holding or locked engagement with a projection or tooth 61 on a spring-plate or armature-bar 60, said parts being held in their locked engagement by an extended coil-spring 63 when a lever on said disk 58 has been thrown over from left to right, as indicated in said Fig. 2. Thus when these several parts are in the positions indicated in said Figs. 2 and 5 then the said spring 63 causes the locked or holding engagement of the tooth 61 with the stop 59, and the projection 57 of the spring-arm 56 will be in the position for engagement with the camsurface 54 of the hub 53, as illustrated. To release the tooth 61 from said stop, and thereby cause the spring-plate 56 to force the spindie or arbor 14 in the direction of arrow as in Fig. 5, whereby the projection or finger 35 of the bar 30 will be disengaged from the spring 38 in the manner hereinabove described and whereby the weight connected with the bar will cause the latter to slide in a downward direction, and thus release the weight, I may employ an electromagnet 62, through which an electric current can be passed in any suit-- able manner to attract the armature-bar and draw its tooth away from its holding engagement with the stop 59 of the disk 58. The spring 63 will thereupon try to assume its inactive position and cause a partial rotation of said disk 58 and the cam-hub 53 and release the weight-retaining mechanism without in the least affecting the previouslyadjusted positions of the toothed wheel 22 and the collar 16 and its projection 17. When the currentis again shut off through the magnet 62, the spring-bar 60 returns to its former position,and by returning the parts by means of the lever 64 once more to the positions indicated in said Fig. 2 all the parts of the mechanism will be in their relative positions for retaining or holding the weight between the jaws of the bars 27 and 30 to be released" therefrom automatically by the time-set mechanism at some predetermined time or by the operator at any time by the means connected with the disk 58 in the manner hereinabove set forth.

I am fully aware that many changes may be made in the various arrangements and combinations of the several mechanisms and the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of my present invention. Hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the several mechanisms, nor do I con fine myself to the exact details of the construction of the parts thereof.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is 1. In a releasing mechanism, the combination, with a gear mechanism, of a load-releasing device, a time-set gear for normally retaining the load-releasing device in its locked or holding engagement with the load to be released but at some predetermined time releasing said device, consisting, essentially, of a toothed wheel having a cam-shaped hub, a spindle or arbor on which said wheel is slidably arranged, a releasing finger or projection on said spindle or arbor, and means connected with said toothed wheel for prematurely setting or looking the same after the release of the time-set mechanism, comprising a toothed pinion and spindle for partially rotating said toothed wheel,a spindle or arbor 21, a pair of pinions 19 and 20, each provided with a stud or projection, and a disk 49 on said spindle 21, provided with a slot 50 into which the said studs or projections extend and are movably arranged therein, said spindle 19 being in mesh with a toothed wheel of the main gear mechanism, and said pinion 20 being in meshwith the toothed wheel of said time-set releasing-gear, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a releasing mechanism, the combination, with a gear mechanism, of a load-releasing device, consisting of a fixed bar 27, having a holding portion or jaw 29, and a slidable bar 30 havingaholding portion or jaw 31, a springplate 38 for retaining said bar 30 normally in its locked position, and a time-set gear for normally causing the holding or locked engagement of said spring-plate 38 with a portion of said slidable bar 30, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a releasing mechanism, the combination, with a gear mechanism, of a load-releasing device, consisting of a fixed bar 27, having a holding portion or jaw 29, and a slidable bar 30 havingaholding portion orjaw 31, a springplate 38 for retaining said bar 30 normally in its locked position, and a time-set gear for normally causing the holding or locked engagement of said spring-plate 38 with a portion of said slidable bar 30, and means connected with said time-set gear mechanism for prematurely setting or looking the same after its release, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a releasing mechanism, the combination, with a gear mechanism, of a load'releasing device, consisting of a fixed bar 27, having a holding portion or jaw 29, anda slidable bar 30 having a holding portion or jaw 31, a springplate 38 for retaining said bar 30.normally in its locked position, and a time-set gear for normally causing the holding or locked engagement of said spring-plate 38 with a portion of said slidable bar 30, and means connected with said ti me-set gear mechanism for prematurely setting or looking the same after its release,.consisting, essentially, of a toothed wheel having a cam-shaped hub, a spindle or arbor on which said wheel is slidablyarranged, a releasing finger or projection on saidspindle or arbor, and means connected with said toothed wheel for prematurely setting or looking the same after the release of the time-set mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a releasing mechanism, the combination, with a gear mechanism, of a loadreleasing device, consisting of a fixed bar 27, having a holding portion or jaw 29, and a slid able bar 30 having a holding portion or jaw 31, a spring-plate 38 for retaining said bar 30 normally in its locked position, and a time-set gear for normally causing the holding or locked engagement of said spring-plate 38 with a portion of said slidable bar 30, and means connected with said time-set gear mechanism for prematurely setting or looking the same after its release, consisting, essentially, of a toothed wheel having a cam-shapedhub, a spindle or arbor on which said wheel is slidably arranged, a releasing finger or projection on said spindle or arbor, and means connected with said toothed wheel for prematurely setting or looking the same after the release of the time-set mechanism, comprising, a toothed pinion and spindle for partially rotating said toothed wheel, a spindle or arbor 21, a pair of pinions 19 and 20, each provided with a stud or projection, and a disk 49 on said spindle 21, provided with a slot 50, into which said studs or projections extend and are movably arranged therein, said spindle 19 being in mesh with a toothed wheel of the main gear mechanism and said pinion 20 being in mesh with the toothed wheel of said time-set releasing-gear, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In areleasing mechanism, the combination with a gear mechanism, a spring 38 and means for actuating said spring, of a load-releasing device, consisting, of a fixed bar and a slidably-arranged bar, both provided with holding portions arranged and constructed to be separated by the action of the mechanism for the release of the load, and means on said slidable bar in normal retaining engagement with said spring 38, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a releasing mechanism, the combination with a gear mechanism and the frame 6 thereof, a spring 38 secured to said frame and means for actuating said spring, of a load-releasing device, consisting, of a fixed bar secured on said frame 6, and a second bar having slotted portions slidably arranged over pins or screws in said frame 6, and said slidable bar having a holding portion or projection at its lower end in slidable engagement with the lower portion of said fixed bar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a releasing mechanism, the combination with a gear mechanism and the frame 6 thereof, a spring 38 secured to said frame and means for actuating said spring, of a load-1e leasing device, consisting, of a fixed bar secured on said frame 6, and a second bar having slotted portions slidably arranged over pins or screws in said frame 6, and said slidable bar having a holding portion or projection at its lower end in slidable engagement with the lower portion of said fixed bar, and a holding finger or projection at the upper end of said slidable bar in normal retaining engagement with said spring 38, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of June, 1900. a

SAMUEL S. COLT.

Witnesses:

FREDK. O. FRAENTZEL, GEO. D. RICHARDS. 

